On April 9, 2016, a 25-year old plant operator with 4 years of mining experience was fatally injured at a surface copper ore mine. He was found unresponsive, kneeling with his face against a stainless steel flange that was connected to a high-density polyethylene pipe. The victim appeared to have received an electrical shock.
Best Practices
- Establish and discuss safe work procedures that include hazard analysis before beginning work. Identify and control all hazards associated with the work to be performed and use methods to properly protect persons.
- Train all persons to understand the hazards associated with working near energized electrical conductors.
- Use properly rated Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) including Arc Flash Protection such as a hood, gloves, shirt, and pants.
- Ensure that all electrical systems are safely designed and properly installed and that all metal enclosing or encasing electrical circuits are grounded or provided with equivalent protection.
- Provide equipment grounding conductors, with a sufficiently low impedance to limit the voltage to ground, for metal enclosures. Use a properly rated meter to identify any stray electrical currents which may be present.
- Lock Out, Tag Out, and Try: Place your lock and tag on the disconnecting device and test for power.
Click here for: MSHA Preliminary Report (pdf), MSHA Investigation Report (pdf), Overview (pdf).